The Annual Synthesis
The State of Housing in Western Massachusetts
One page for the whole region, built from the same public records as every town page. The 101 towns of Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties, added up and, where they differ, laid side by side.
How Many People Live Here
The four counties hold 827,325 people, a figure that has held steady for about two decades. The long line is the census, count by count.
Population of Western Mass, Census by Census
827,3252025 count, the four western counties
Half a Century of Building
New homes permitted across all 101 towns, every year since 1980. The 1980s boom, the long drought after 2008, and whatever this year is becoming.
New Homes Permitted Region-Wide, Since 1980
822units permitted region-wide in 2025 · permission to build, not completions
The Rate Behind Every Sale
Where the rate stands right now is in this week's numbers (most recently the issue of August 3, 2026), and every past week in the archive. The national 30-year mortgage rate, monthly since 1971. The number that decides what any of these prices actually costs to carry.
The 30-Year Mortgage Rate, Monthly Since 1971
7.24%this week's national average (Freddie Mac)
Where the Region's People Actually Live
Housing burden uses each town's owner or renter household count, producing approximate regional shares from rounded town percentages. Other figures are population-weighted averages of town measures.
Every Town's Tax Bill, 1988 to 2027
One panel per town: what the average single-family bill has done since fiscal 1988. The bills themselves run from a few hundred dollars to $10,915, which is the range printed under each shape; the shapes show what each town's own line did, and they are not all the same. Tap any town for its full record.
The average single-family tax bill in each of the 101 towns, fiscal 1988 to 2027. Each shape is drawn against that town's own range, so it shows the direction and timing of its own history rather than its size next to anywhere else. The size is the figure printed beneath it, which is the honest way round: shape is what an eye reads well, and a hundred small heights is not. Every panel covers the same years, so a shorter record starts further right. Alphabetical, which is the only order that carries no opinion.
How the 101 Towns Differ
The honest spread, lowest to highest, with the town named at each end. Not a ranking, a range. Sort any of it yourself on the comparison tool.
| Measure | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|
| Property Tax on the Median Home | Hancock $769/yr | Longmeadow $9,966/yr |
| Median Single-Family Value | Monroe $146,400 | Alford $1,066,450 |
| Per-Pupil School Spending | Clarksburg $15,610/student | Sandisfield $32,033/student |
| Walkability (EPA 1-20) | Savoy 1.5 | Springfield 13.4 |
| Renters Spending 30%+ on Housing | Alford 0% | Savoy 100% |
| Average Snowfall a Year | Amherst 37″ | Windsor 85″ |
| Share of Adults With a Bachelor's+ | Orange 15.7% | Amherst 75.6% |
| Housing Stock Built Before 1940 | Granby 5.2% | Monroe 70.4% |
From the Desk
RE413 News on this subject: which towns are actually building. Every piece is built from the same public record as the figures above, and states the period each covers.
Sources
- The 101 town records. Every figure is derived from the town bundles, which cite each underlying public source (DLS, Census Bureau, HUD, MassGIS, FEMA, MassDEP, DESE, EPA, NOAA, USGS, Freddie Mac) in full on the town pages. Checked 2026-11-05.
"Figures through" is the period the publisher's data describes; "checked" is only when we last asked. The full sourcing: sources and method.